Content

Abstract

Attitudes towards consumer protection and cross-border shopping.
Topics: approval of the following statements regarding consumer protection in the own country: trust in independent consumer organizations and in public authorities, feeling of being protected by existing measures, sellers and providers in the own country respect consumer rights, easy to resolve disputes with sellers through arbitration, mediation, or conciliation, easy to resolve disputes through the courts, change of consumer behavior as a result of media stories; assessment of the non-food and food products currently on the market in the own country as safe; influence of environmental impact on product choice during the last two weeks; source of information on environmental impact of purchased products: advertisements or offers, environmental label; reasons for not considering environmental impact of purchased products; right to return ordered goods four days after delivery and get money back without giving any reason; right to have repaired or replaced a good bought 18 months ago for free; obligation to pay invoice for not ordered deliveries: no obligation to pay and no obligation to return good, no obligation to pay provided that the good is returned, obligation to pay; right for repair or replacement of a faulty good even if the sales contract rejects any responsibility of the seller or of the producer to deal with faults; causes for complaint when buying goods or services in the own country in the past 12 months; actions taken; satisfaction with the handling of the complaint; reasons for not taking action; purchase of goods or services via the internet in the past twelve months from a retailer or provider located: in the own country, in another EU country, outside the EU; problems encountered with purchasing via the internet in the last twelve months: delay in delivery or no delivery at all when buying from a seller located in the own country or in another EU country, refusal of a seller located in another EU country to deliver to the own country; confidence in purchasing goods or services via the internet from providers in the own country or in another EU country; attitudes towards cross-border shopping within the EU: prepared to purchase goods or services using another European language, knowledge where to find information on cross-border shopping, intention to do cross-border shopping in the next twelve months; knowledge of European Consumer Centres; experiences with advertisements in the past twelve months: noticed misleading or deceptive advertisements, purchase on the basis of an advertisement or offer which turned out to be misleading or deceptive, noticed fraudulent advertisements, purchase on the basis of an advertisement or offer which turned out to be fraudulent; sales channel where to encounter most likely misleading, deceptive or fraudulent advertisements.
Demography: age; sex; nationality; age at end of education; occupation; professional position; internet connection at home; region; type of community; own a mobile phone and fixed (landline) phone; household composition and household size.
Additionally coded was: respondent ID; type of phone line; nation group; weighting factor.

Abstract

Attitudes towards consumer protection and cross-border shopping.
Topics: approval of the following statements regarding consumer protection in the own country: trust in independent consumer organizations and in public authorities, feeling of being protected by existing measures, sellers and providers in the own country respect consumer rights, easy to resolve disputes with sellers through arbitration, mediation, or conciliation, easy to resolve disputes through the courts, change of consumer behavior as a result of media stories; assessment of the non-food and food products currently on the market in the own country as safe; influence of environmental impact on product choice during the last two weeks; source of information on environmental impact of purchased products: advertisements or offers, environmental label; reasons for not considering environmental impact of purchased products; right to return ordered goods four days after delivery and get money back without giving any reason; right to have repaired or replaced a good bought 18 months ago for free; obligation to pay invoice for not ordered deliveries: no obligation to pay and no obligation to return good, no obligation to pay provided that the good is returned, obligation to pay; right for repair or replacement of a faulty good even if the sales contract rejects any responsibility of the seller or of the producer to deal with faults; causes for complaint when buying goods or services in the own country in the past 12 months; actions taken; satisfaction with the handling of the complaint; reasons for not taking action; purchase of goods or services via the internet in the past twelve months from a retailer or provider located: in the own country, in another EU country, outside the EU; problems encountered with purchasing via the internet in the last twelve months: delay in delivery or no delivery at all when buying from a seller located in the own country or in another EU country, refusal of a seller located in another EU country to deliver to the own country; confidence in purchasing goods or services via the internet from providers in the own country or in another EU country; attitudes towards cross-border shopping within the EU: prepared to purchase goods or services using another European language, knowledge where to find information on cross-border shopping, intention to do cross-border shopping in the next twelve months; knowledge of European Consumer Centres; experiences with advertisements in the past twelve months: noticed misleading or deceptive advertisements, purchase on the basis of an advertisement or offer which turned out to be misleading or deceptive, noticed fraudulent advertisements, purchase on the basis of an advertisement or offer which turned out to be fraudulent; sales channel where to encounter most likely misleading, deceptive or fraudulent advertisements.
Demography: age; sex; nationality; age at end of education; occupation; professional position; internet connection at home; region; type of community; own a mobile phone and fixed (landline) phone; household composition and household size.
Additionally coded was: respondent ID; type of phone line; nation group; weighting factor.

Methodology

Geographic Coverage

Universe

Population of the respective nationalities of the European Union Member States, resident in each of the 27 Member States and aged 15 years and over. The survey has also been conducted in Croatia, Iceland, and Norway. In these countries, the survey covers the national population of citizens and the population of citizens of all the European Union Member States that are residents in these countries and have a sufficient command of the national languages to answer the questionnaire.

Population of the respective nationalities of the European Union Member States, resident in each of the 27 Member States and aged 15 years and over. The survey has also been conducted in Croatia, Iceland, and Norway. In these countries, the survey covers the national population of citizens and the population of citizens of all the European Union Member States that are residents in these countries and have a sufficient command of the national languages to answer the questionnaire.

EB - Flash Eurobarometer
The Flash Eurobarometer were launched by the European Commission in the late eighties, turning out a Monthly Monitor between in 1994 and 1995. These “small scale” surveys are conducted in all EU member states at times, occasionally reducing or enlarging the scope of countries as a function of specific topics. The typical sample size is 500-1000 respondents per country and interviews are usually conducted by phone in the respective national language. The Flash Eurobarometer include series on special topics (Common Currency, EU Enlargement, Information Society, Entrepreneurship, Innovation) as well as special target group polls, particularly company managers with enterprise related topics.